Where do all the wholesalers sell their stingrays?

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Blkpiranha

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jun 8, 2007
2,553
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If the stingray wholesalers don't want to sell to the average hobbyist or make it near impossible to purchase due to the dollar requirement then where does a person find these AAA+ stingrays for sale? Where do you buy the top top quality black diamonds? Where do you buy the super hybrids? What online vendors or sellers carry these rays with pictures,prices,etc, from the top breeders or importers like Potamotrygon.nl,Top stingray,Belowwater(Canada) just to mention a few. What about all these fancy hybrids, where does one find these for sale? I mean the top quality hybrids that always grace these pages but never seem available to the average hobbyist.

Very frustrating that all we get to see is the pictures without having a real chance at owning these AAA+ quality stingrays.

Acutally it's very frustrating to just find actual lists of any kind of inventory of stingrays with pics and prices.

What's the big secret everyone seems to want to keep why they don't want to post pictures and prices of their entire stock? Kind of like the saltwater section at the lfs, they never post prices of the saltwater fish!!
 
B

Blkpiranha

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jun 8, 2007
2,553
111
96
Silent Bob said:
Main reason you never see any prices is because the majority of those rays are either not for sale or are already sold.
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Still would be nice to see what they sold for or how one goes about putting his name in for one these super nice rays. Funny how the majority of rays available to the average hobbyist is another hobbyist. Can't wait until I have my albino ray and I can tell everyone NOT FOR SALE!!! :D
 
F

FishDog

Bronze Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 2, 2008
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The problem is all the people that took the leap of faith to import these rays were shady from the start and burned enough people that they either got ran off or disappeared. Then the next big issue is everyone and their mother wants to buy these top notch rays but in reality are just tire kicking and do not have the money. So an individual would have to one decide they wanted to import rays, two fit the bill to buy them and keep them in inventory, then three hope that they can sell them fast so they do not lose money. The cheaper rays like marbles can be picked up pretty cheap but when you get into the black rays and high end hybrids the wholesale price is not low enough to make it worth while. Example, last list I saw had Leos for $600 and they were selling at the time for around $800-1000 depending on quality. Then you have to pay freight which gets you up to $700, you have to feed and keep them and wait for a buyer. If it dies then guess what, you are out $700 and have to start over. I know I am saying lots of "thens" but then to top it off no one wants to buy the ray you have in stock, they want to see what rays you can get so they can pick the one they want to buy because the one you got shipped was not good enough. So with all this said, your best bet is to venture out on your own, get an import lisense, find the closest airport with full customs and buy your own for a wholesale.
 
UnstoppableJayD

UnstoppableJayD

MFK NNJ
Staff member
Global Moderator
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Jun 6, 2012
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FishDog said:
The problem is all the people that took the leap of faith to import these rays were shady from the start and burned enough people that they either got ran off or disappeared. Then the next big issue is everyone and their mother wants to buy these top notch rays but in reality are just tire kicking and do not have the money. So an individual would have to one decide they wanted to import rays, two fit the bill to buy them and keep them in inventory, then three hope that they can sell them fast so they do not lose money. The cheaper rays like marbles can be picked up pretty cheap but when you get into the black rays and high end hybrids the wholesale price is not low enough to make it worth while. Example, last list I saw had Leos for $600 and they were selling at the time for around $800-1000 depending on quality. Then you have to pay freight which gets you up to $700, you have to feed and keep them and wait for a buyer. If it dies then guess what, you are out $700 and have to start over. I know I am saying lots of "thens" but then to top it off no one wants to buy the ray you have in stock, they want to see what rays you can get so they can pick the one they want to buy because the one you got shipped was not good enough. So with all this said, your best bet is to venture out on your own, get an import lisense, find the closest airport with full customs and buy your own for a wholesale.
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Exactly- There is not enough wiggle room from wholesale to retail and a ton of risk and cash flow to tie up in keeping an inventory of rays. I know you and Pedro have been going back and forth, but he tells me all the time how tough it is to maintain the stock he has and how slow the turnover is on rays. Think about it, how many people (besides us raycrazies) are walking into a store to drop 1000+ on a fish?
 
R

Raymann88

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 1, 2011
606
8
48
Canada
I hear what you're saying Trev. There are people out there with exceptional rays. Where did they get them from? When a person contacts one of the wholesales like you mentioned they either want to sell in quantities larger than the typical hobbyist can afford to buy / house or they have regular high end buyers (mostly in Asia) that have first dibs on the exceptional rays. At least that's been my experience in enquiring. I've asked to be put on a waiting list and told that when a exceptional or unique specimen comes in, the regular high end buyers have first crack at them and they snap them up right away. Eventually they will breed enough of that type of ray to become more readily available, but by then someone else has a "new" stunning ray and everyone shifts their attention to that one. Look at BD's. Couple years ago only a handful of keepers had them. Now it seems like everyone has one. I've even read comments on MFK that there are so many out there they've lost their "wow" factor. Now it seems like everyone's shifting their focus to hybrids.

Rays are like cell phones - every 6 months a newer version comes out that everyone's desperate to get their hand on. Lol. Trick is to be the first in line.

Guess that's what keeps the hobby going.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
Mr. Allgood

Mr. Allgood

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Feb 16, 2012
617
12
33
Iowa
Great comments guys! Basically, money talks. If I had the money I would just rent a boat and head to S. America and get what I want... but then I may just decide to stay :/
 
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